It’s an old standby email marketers’ trick, but it still works:  Personalisation.

Of course we all know that personalisation is a cheap trick – it’s not that the brand actually knows you personally, it’s a computer that automatically inserts your name in the allocated space.  However, everybody does it.  We’ve become so used to receiving emails personalised with our names that you notice when an email doesn’t address you by name.  With every other business addressing their clients by name, you stand out like a sore thumb when you neglect to personalise your emails.

First things first:
In order to personalise your emails you first need to “know” enough about your subscribers.  Make sure that your subscription form captures the necessary information.   You can set certain fields, like name, surname, location or gender, to be required fields. 
No idea how to set up personalisation for your campaign?  Watch the video tutorial.

Ready? Right.  Now here’s how to use it:

The personal nature of email is one of the advantages it has as a marketing tool – use this to your advantage by playing around with your personalisation; try using it in a way others don’t.  For instance, while everyone else is on a first name basis, why don’t you try addressing your subscribers by last name?  “Mr. Malema, your new Mercedes has arrived” or “Merry Christmas, Weasley family!” could put a new spin on things. 

Another often overlooked method of personalisation, is to personalise your emails by location.  Say, for instance, you’re sending out an email to announce your Spring Sale – you can tell subscribers to “rush over to their local ____ branch”  and insert the name of the store closest to their location.
If you want to take it a step further, you can also personalize your emails by sending emails relating to a specific store, branch or area only to people who are close to that location.  Use segmentation to do this.

Get creative with your personalisation - you might just impress both your subscribers and yourself!

We also run live online demonstrations on the topics of personalisation and segmentation.  Be sure to check our webinar page from time to time, or else request our team to schedule one by emailing info@graphicmail.com

What makes email marketing an effective mass communication tool? What makes it a successful marketing platform for businesses?

I’ve identified what I think are the three most important advantages email has over other marketing communication strategies.

#1 - Email is personal
Email is by nature a very personal medium.  As online interaction expands through social networking, blogging, online shopping and banking, your email address starts to form of part of your identity online.

In your inbox you have the power to decide whether or not to read a particular email, whether you want to report a sender as SPAM, and whose mailings you want to remain subscribed to.  Your inbox is a trusted zone where you are in charge.  So when your email shows up in your subscribers’ inboxes you’re already in a privileged space – treat your subscribers to quality newsletters and you’ll manage to grow the relationship.

Simply by subscribing to your newsletter your readers have indicated an interest in what you have to offer.  Unlike social networks where you simply broadcast generalized messages to the masses, email marketing gives you access to a more receptive audience –thereby increasing the likelihood that they’ll become valued customers. 
Most of all, email is private, giving you the opportunity to grow a relationship with your recipient, especially if you give them somewhere to direct their replies.

#2 - You can track your campaigns
Unlike most other marketing tools, email is easily tracked.  This means you always know whether or not your campaigns are performing as you’d like them to.  Of course certain things, like building brand recognition, are never entirely trackable – but in terms of list growth, traffic generated and sales converted you can monitor regularly.

Being able to monitor the campaign’s performance enables you to hone your email campaigns to deliver the desired results.

#3-Your campaigns are exclusive
Your email newsletters are a chance to reward your most loyal followers.

When you send targeted mailings to a segmented list, your recipients get relevant, valuable information; when you notify them of specials or offer them exclusive discounts, it motivates other potential clients to join your mailing list.  An excellent example is Kulula’s newsletter campaign.  Only those on their mailing list know on what days they host their one-day-only sales – it’s an excellent reason to sign up for their mailing list, but it also means that – because I’m always aware of their specials and are constantly reminded of them by their regular emails – I’m more likely to search Kulula’s site for flights before looking at their competitors.

Build a quality, rewarding campaign (one from which your subscribers benefit) and you’re likely to get good word of mouth: they might just share your newsletter with their contacts, thereby expanding your audience.

Keep these three factors in mind when creating your campaigns and use them to your business’ advantage.